Shindig
by WildPsyche
Summary: I know everyone has their own Grace story- here's mine. It's my first fic, had originally posted it on another site. Please review! COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Story Notes:

This is a story I wrote a long time ago, under the name Nefertiti. Please R/R (constructive criticism is always welcome!). I'm still not sure about the ending, so I may rewrite it. Also, I do not currently have a beta, so I accept responsibility for all mistakes.

Author's Notes:

***NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY, NO MONEY IS BEING RECEIVED FOR THIS STORY. I ONLY ENJOY BRINGING SAM AND JACK OUT TO PLAY, BUT I WILL GIVE THEM BACK.***

CHAPTER 1

She lay there, in the infirmary again, as he sat by watching her, again. This occurrence was happening way too often. He couldn't ever be sure she was okay until he saw for himself.

He saw her eyes start to flutter, and caught his attention. _'C'mon, Sam, show me those beautiful eyes Let me know you're alright, that you didn't leave me.'_

"Hey," Colonel O'Neill let him know he was with her…always.

"Jack?" she whispered.

He raised his eyebrows at the sound of his name on her lips, the first word she uttered as she awoke.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, sir." She realized that she had slipped and said his name, forgetting for a split second that she wasn't living in her mind anymore. The concussion she suffered as a fall was no longer creating conversations she couldn't imagine being a reality.

_'__And she's back to sir,'_ mused the colonel to himself_, 'If only she understood that I wasn't chastising her for using my name, but fascinated by it.'_

"Yes, well, a massive concussion will tend to disorient one." Disappointed that he had to make excuses for her, he listened to the machines monitoring her beeping loudly behind her.

"How long was I out there?"

"Well, it's all relative, Carter, you know, that whole time/space continuum thing…"

"Sir?" She pushed for the answer.

"Four days."

_'__What? There's no way!'_ Her eyes widened, as reality set in.

"I could have sworn it was weeks."

"Uh, Teal'c and Daniel say hi, uh, they're planning a little bit of a shindig for when you're up and around. There's talk of cake," He looked down into her beautiful blue eyes and smiled.

"A cake?"

"My idea!" There was pride in his voice as he smiled.

"Can't wait," her fatigue permeated her own voice.

"Need anything?" All he needed was for her to say his name again, tired and full of sleep just as she had before. _'That was extremely sexy' _ "Magazine? Yo-Yo?"

_'__You,'_ she thought to herself, but instead, she shook her head, "I'm fine."

"Yes, you are," he stated, as the unsaid words hung in the air between them.

"Thank you, sir."

"For what?"

She remembered the dream she had had of kissing him, climbing on his lap, his head between her hands, and the soft caress of his fingers as they came up to touch the side of her face. She could have sworn it was real. She _knew _it was real, she remembered the heat of his skin, the slight stubble on his cheeks, the taste of his delicious tongue. However, he didn't remember a thing about it, because it never really happened.

"Nothing."

"Think nothing of it," in his purely charming way, "I've got plenty of that." He looked down at her classic features, the planes of her face. He hated that once again, she was lying on a hospital bed, but wondered how she always looked so beautiful, her hair a golden halo around her face.

Sam fought the urge to call out to him as he turned and walked out of the infirmary. She knew she couldn't, no matter how much she wished she could. She wanted to tell him so much, about the conversations she had had in her head as she worked alone to get out of the gas cloud, about the small girl she hallucinated while on Prometheus, but most of all, she wanted to tell him about the kiss they had never shared.

She smiled to herself and closed her eyes, remembering the feel again of his hand as it barely caressed the side of her face. It was with this thought that she allowed herself to drift off into slumber.

TBC

A/N: Dialogue from Stargate SG-1, Season 7, Episode 13 Grace, written by Brad Wright, Jonathan Glassner, and Damian Kindler. Wish I could take credit for writing it, but I can't! Thanks for the great dialogue, and thanks to RDA and AT for adding so much emotional undercurrent in just a few lines of dialogue!


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later…

Sam checked herself in the mirror. Apparently, Colonel O'Neill wasn't exaggerating about the shindig. The entire crew of the Prometheus, as well as Stargate Command had planned, a thank you party, just for her. SG-1 had decided to drive together, as the party was to be held at their favorite steakhouse. They would be here any minute, and Sam's stomach was overflowing with butterflies. Strike that. Butterflies, bees, dragonflies, and all other sorts of winged insects had taken up residence in her abdomen.

She couldn't get the image of her commanding officer's lips out of her head.

Once she had heard about the details of the dinner to be held this night, she began thinking about all sorts of permutations of the evening in her mind, the most being that she and Colonel O'Neill would be able to talk. And about more than Jaffa tactics, naquadah bombs, or the fight against Anubis and his super soldiers.

She had gone out and had her hair done, bought a new dress and spent a long hour in the bathtub with lilac bubbles, making sure she was at her absolute best. She wanted to knock his socks off, perhaps remind him that under the BDU's she normally donned, she was still a woman underneath – not just his second-in-command.

_Knock, knock._

'_Well, here goes nothin'_,' she thought to herself as she grabbed her evening bag and wrap.

The sight as she opened her front door stopped her in her tracks, made her jaw drop, and the winged insects in her stomach began to fly around rampant again.

There stood Colonel Jonathan J. O'Neill, the man who haunted her dreams, dressed to the nines, black tuxedo, white shirt, and a black bow-tie. He looked anything but the Air Force colonel she was used to seeing every day.

Behind him, dressed similarly, were Daniel and Teal'c keeping the door of a long black limousine open for her.

Sam knew this was a formal evening, and more of a celebration for them all, with the excuse that she had just saved them all.

She glanced back up at her colonel, as she had started calling him in her mind three years ago, in the room where their feelings were supposed to stay.

It seems she had the same effect on him that he had on her. He stood there, as slack-jawed as she, while he took in the vision that was Samantha Carter.

She was clad in a breathtaking black cocktail dress, strapless, and flared at her hips, stopping just above the knee. Her luscious legs were tanned and toned to perfection. The simple black stilettos lifted her to just his height. The bodice was covered in black lace, which got his mind reeling to lustful thoughts they should not be headed towards. Her creamy shoulders drew his eyes to the swell of her breasts, one (or rather two) of the many, many parts of her he was very obsessed with. He had imagined just laying his head there, inhaling her scent. Lilacs, if he remembered, from when he'd so brazenly kissed her during one of the time-loops. God, that kiss had been sweet.

"Major." Her salutation sounded more like a clearing of his throat, rather than the greeting he had intended. He had to keep this professional, but more than anything, he just wanted to hear her voice his name again, preferably while writhing with passion.

"Colonel." Her thoughts mirrored his.

They continued to look at each other, when they heard Daniel call from the limo…

"Guys, c'mon, we're already late."

"He is correct, O'Neill, Major Carter," Teal'c interjected, "We were scheduled to be there ten minutes ago."

"Umm, well, let's go do this thing. Remember, there's cake!" Jack's eyes lit up, and he smiled like a child heading to Disneyland for the first time.

"Yes, sir," she chuckled as they walked almost too closely to the elegant car, stealing glances at each other.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

**A/N: I had forgotten just how fluffy this story is…**

The flagship team of the United States' most secret organization walked in to the restaurant. The place was filled with the faces of people they worked with and lives they had saved all around. It seemed as though General Hammond had called in a few markers to have the entire establishment to themselves for the evening.

By the maître d's podium stood a sign that said, "Welcome Major Samantha Carter & Thank You"

All of the attention paid to them as they walked in the door was almost too much for Sam to handle. Everyone stood and clapped, giving her a standing ovation before she had a chance to say even one word. Colonel O'Neill looked over at her, pleased with the blush he saw creep up her cheeks.

General Hammond came forward, shook her hand and welcomed her warmly to the seat in the center of the front table. There were place cards at the main table, and she saw she was seated between General George Hammond and Colonel Jonathan J. O'Neill.

"Major, we're all in a great debt to you, as well as the rest of your team. However, your teammates came to me and said this evening was all about you, for all you have done for each of them, and for all of us."

Sam glowered at each of her teammates, wishing she could share the spotlight with all of them, or not at all.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our guest of honor has arrived, so now we can finally begin to settle our grumbling stomachs. Let's eat!" Hammond addressed the crowd.

Everyone had been briefed beforehand that speeches could be made, but that they had to be vague, as the wait staff did not have clearance for anything relating to the Stargate or any off-world activities.

They were all seated, and the waiters began to bring out a small salad to each of the people present, and another came around to take drink orders. Water glasses were already filled and at each place setting, so Sam grabbed hers and began to take big gulps, trying to settle the nerves in her stomach.

"Easy, Carter, or you'll miss the best part because you're in the head." O'Neill looked at her, trying to do his level best to calm some of those nerves. "Enjoy this, it's not often you're recognized for the monumental things you do. You've earned this."

"No more than you, Daniel or Teal'c, sir," she gulped in more water, "We've all done monumental things, every day. Why is it so important that this is about me?"

His voice lowered so only she could hear. "We'll talk about that later. For now, just enjoy it."

Her eyes snapped to his with the question looming behind those baby blue irises.

_'__Later,_' he mouthed.

*Tink, tink*

Someone had broken the moment by tapping a salad fork against a water glass. Sam looked around to see who the culprit was.

_Of course,_ she thought, _it's Janet. _

Doctor Janet Fraser had been her best friend over the last seven years, the one she could confide anything. Janet had been present during that fateful day when Anise had been za'tarc testing at the SGC.

"Sam.," Janet started, "You have been instrumental in saving us all, the whole country, the whole planet, more than once. I've sewed up wounds, brought you back several times, and watched you give yourself to all of us. I'm so thankful that I'm here to see the incredible things you do every day, the sacrifices you have endured to make us all able to stand here today.

"We want to thank you," Janet looked at her pointedly, "but remind you that you are an incredible asset to all of us, in more ways than we can convey. We have seen you give up all that most of us would never risk, without thinking twice. We're all here to say, from the bottom of our hearts and those of the human race, Thank you, Major Carter."

O'Neill peeked over at his subordinate in time to see her dabbing her napkin at the corner of her eyes. He knew planning this evening for her was perfect, the best way to show her how much she meant to everyone around her, himself included. What he didn't expect, knowing his second-in-command so well, was the emotional display.

The waiter finally got around to taking drink orders, as he had paused during Janet's opening speech.

"Scotch and soda for me, and for the Major?" O'Neill looked over at her, she had regained her composure. Janet always did have a way with words that hit her to her core.

"A glass of Chardonnay, please."

"A glass of Chardonnay. On second thought, better make it a bottle. We're going to be here a while." There was a twinkle in O'Neill's eyes as he looked at her.

"Oh, Major Carter, I don't think you got the memo today. Your team will be on leave for the next week. I arranged it as my part of this celebration. Teal'c will be visiting his son, and Daniel wanted to head out to a dig in South America. I think Colonel O'Neill will be going fishing, so don't worry about having a headache tomorrow. You will be able to sleep in, and come back here in a week." Hammond smiled at her, knowing she was worried about performing at work tomorrow. She was never satisfied unless she was performing her best.

"Thank you, General."

O'Neill looked over at her, and with an almost imperceptible wink, "See, Carter? Tonight's for celebrating. We can worry about the fate of the world next week."

"Fishing, sir?"

"Yeahsureyoubetcha!"

She smiled shyly at his catchphrase. It never failed to draw a smile to her lips.

The drinks arrived as the merriment continued. The speeches continued, first with General Hammond, extolling her virtues as a military officer; Teal'c commenting on her unrelenting motivation to secure a safe and happy life for those she'd sworn to protect; and Daniel, exclaiming how her friendship and dedication effected everyone she'd met.

During all of this, their meal had arrived and been eaten. Sam was on her third glass of wine, having gone through half the bottle before she realized her nerves had gone fuzzy, and she hadn't even noticed how much her colonel had imbibed.

She was surprised and disappointed that Colonel O'Neill hadn't said a few words. She looked at him expectantly, but just detected the barest hint of shake of his head as he took a sip of his scotch.

"Hey, Carter. Guess what? Time for cake!" He showed no sign of being intoxicated, not even the barest hint.

She turned towards the kitchen doors just as she saw that Teal'c, Daniel and Janet had gone back there and were bringing out a giant cake. The cake had been decorated with her name scrawled in red right in the center, and Thank You in several different languages, including Ancient, in three different shades of blue. The words stood out beautifully against the white background.

_'__How did they get away with getting Ancient written on the cake?'_ She thought as she looked at the beautiful red, white and blue frosting.

"Stop thinking about the logistics, and think about the cake. It's cake, Carter!" O'Neill's enthusiasm made her grin inwardly. _'Jack and his cakes!'_

They all sat and enjoyed their cake, and the evening began to draw to a close.

"Major, please take the next week to relax. We have extreme matters to attend to when you return, but I need you rested and ready. Enjoy yourself. The coming weeks will be hard." The general's concern touched her almost more than any of the speeches she had heard earlier in the evening.

"Yes, sir. I will do my best."

"And try not to think about all that we have ahead of us." The sincerity continued. "Well, I have to see my granddaughter's play tomorrow morning, so I'm off."

General Hammond stood and shook hands with his officers.

"Sam, my dear, Cassie has some school functions tomorrow as well, and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin," Janet drew her close into a warm hug. She whispered in Sam's ear, "And you take risks every day, but there is one you should take during this week."

Sam looked down at her friend, the question evident in her eyes.

Janet's eyes just twinkled, and a sly smiled splayed across her lips.

O'Neill looked over at Daniel and Teal'c. Daniel's eyes were glazed, and O'Neill remembered that Daniel couldn't hold his liquor very well. Luckily, Teal'c was steadying the archeologist.

"O'Neill, we should get him back to the base. I have an early day tomorrow with Ry'ac, and Daniel Jackson must catch a flight to South America."

"Well, Carter, it looks like we're going to drop them off before we can get you home tonight."

Sam looked at her CO, at his handsome features. 'You mean, I will be alone with you in the limo? No cameras, no other people, nothing to keep me from running my fingers through your sexy silver hair?' Instead of saying what she was thinking, as usual, she just said, "Yes, sir. You will also be leaving for your cabin early tomorrow, so you'll be wanting to get to bed soon as well."

_'__Yes, but not to sleep. We need to talk, Samantha.'_ However, his eyes just agreed with her.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

They dropped off their teammates at the base, and the limo pulled out onto the open road.

Sam sat against the back seat of the huge cabin of the car.

"Carter, come fishing with me."

"Sir?"

"Fishing. You know, sitting at the edge of my pond, rod in the water. No fish, just fresh mountain air, lounging, no Goa'uld, just relaxing. You need it."

"Sir, what did you mean earlier, by later?" Her curiosity had been getting the best of her since her wine buzz had started to wear off.

"Samantha."

He had simply just stated her name. She was speechless.

"Come to my cabin, no funny stuff, and we can talk."

"Sir…"

"Oh, come on, Carter, don't make me make it an order."

"Yes, sir." Sam remembered what her friend had whispered in her ear upon parting from the restaurant.

"Ok, so I'll let the driver know to take us to the airport."

"What? Sir, I need my things, and what?How…what… I…I…" Her voice trailed off as she saw the smile on his lips.

"Old Doc Fraser dropped a bag off for you earlier, it's already in the trunk. She's a good friend, Carter. She knows you need to be away from the real world, to relax. We have a private jet waiting at Peterson. General Hammond isn't the only one who called in some markers to show his thanks."

_'__They planned this!__'_

"Sir, you said that you'd explain about why tonight wasn't for all of SG-1. You and Daniel and Tea-"

"Carter, just rest right now. We will talk, I promise, but you still need some rest first. You drank a whole bottle of wine tonight. Sober up, Major."

_'__Sleep? How can I sleep or rest right now? I__'__m headed to Jack O__'__Neill__'__s cabin, miles away from regulations, and he wants me to rest?!__'_

The limo pulled onto the tarmac at Peterson, and her colonel got out first to hold the door open.

_'__Well, here goes nothin__'_,' she said again to herself for the second time in four hours.

O'Neill's truck was waiting for them at the airport about twenty miles south of his cabin in Minnesota. He transferred the suitcases from the jet to the truck. In the time it had taken them to fly from Colorado to Minnesota, Sam had given in to the call of slumber. She still tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes. She had been sleeping a lot during the last few days, recovering from the concussion and what had felt like weeks of no sleep.

"Carter, we've got about a half-hour drive ahead of us, so go ahead and sleep a little more. I'll wake you when we get there."

"Yes-shir," she managed as she yawned, and laid her head against the window of his truck.

_'__Ok, Jack, you__'__ve gotten her this far. Don__'__t fuck it up!_' He wanted nothing more than to scoot her over to his side, and lay her head upon his shoulder as she slept.

She fell asleep very quickly against the door of the truck, and he glanced over at her. She was so innocent, however much her current dress belied that fact. She had always been the sexiest woman he had ever met, but tonight, in that little black number, she had done him in. He had not been able to get the thought of her long slender legs with shiny, black stilettos out of his mind, heart and blood. All three were racing.

It was all he could do not to pull her out of the night's festivities, throw her up against a wall, draw those beautiful legs up around his waist, and find the release his body had been waiting 7 years for, if not his entire life.

Sam sighed softly in her sleep, moving towards a slightly more comfortable position.

_'__Oh, jeez-us, Sam, you__'__re killing me!_'

That soft mewling sound was enough, given his current thought process, to get him uncomfortably hard.

He was bringing her up here, not necessarily to ravage her, but to bring all of their issues out of that damned room. He was getting old, and was tired to pussy-footing around. He loved this woman, and loved her dearly. He was tired of wasting precious time. He finally decided to do something about it when he saw her laying there in the infirmary, yet again, and realized he had almost lost her.

He couldn't imagine a world without her, much less his world. He had seen her go through Hell, or rather Netu, and back, and she was still the most beautiful, amazing woman he had the honor of knowing. And loving her, being loved by her, would honor him exponentially more.

He couldn't help himself but to reach out and run the back of a finger across her sleeping cheek.

_'__My woman.__'_

He had a feeling that she reciprocated this, that she knew she was his woman. He wasn't going to let her go. He wanted a life with her. A life that he had fought Apophis, Anubis, Nirrti, and countless others for. A life he had died from again and again, by Ba'al's hand for.

He pulled into the drive way of his cabin and put the truck into park. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he turned and looked at her peaceful form, curled up on the seat. Her knees were drawn up, he hadn't realized she was cold.

Instead of disturbing her, he got quietly down from the truck and took their belongings into the cabin. He returned and opened the passenger side of the truck, almost wishing he didn't have to move her. But, it got cold up here in the mountains at night.

He gently scooped her into his arms, loving the feel of her as she moved slightly to rest her head on his shoulder and instinctively wrap her arms around his neck. Her breath on his neck, just by his ear, made him groan inwardly. If she had been awake, that behavior might make him lose any control he had left.

He took her inside, smiling to himself as he carried her across the threshold.

_'__If only the dress was white, and there was a ring on her finger, I could now die a happy man.__'_

He almost woke her then, but decided it would be best to cover their topic of conversation when she wasn't distracted by sleep.

He started to carry her to the master bedroom, as he felt was natural, but didn't want her waking up unsure about what happened this evening. He, instead, took her to the guest bedroom where he laid her upon the mattress, and found his warmest blanket to cover her, after he removed those insatiably sexy shoes.

He bent down and lightly touched his lips to her forehead.

"Sleep, my love. We have tomorrow, and the days after. Dream," he whispered before letting himself out of the room, and went to seek his own bed. He smiled to himself as he heard her snore softly.

Going to bed with a raging hard on was never an easy thing to do, so before he slept, he took a cold shower, got himself to calm down. As he crawled under his own covers, he was reminded that he would have her all to himself for the next week, and he didn't want to rush things. Her sleeping now actually made it easier to do this, giving them both a night of sleep before they embarked into the unknown.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

The smell of fresh coffee pulled her out of her dozing, wondering why her alarm clock hadn't gone off.

Sam sat up on the comfortable bed. She was disoriented for a moment, as she looked down and saw her very wrinkled dress. The room was very unfamiliar, but the vision from the window reminded her where she was. A pond, surrounded with tall green pine trees, the chirps of the birds in said trees, and the dock leading out over the pond was a very real reminder that she was at her colonel's Minnesota cabin.

The winged insects returned.

Janet and Colonel O'Neill had planned this whole thing. Who else was in on it?

She opened her travel bag, and pulled out jeans and a very feminine top Janet had packed for her. In fact, everything was very feminine. No fatigues in sight. She saw that Janet had also packed a light blue nightie that she had never seen before. Attached to the lingerie was a note from Janet that read:

~Take the risk, it's the least risky thing you'll ever do. I love you!~ Janet

Sam smiled, and wondered at the true purpose of this Minnesota trip.

Sam saw her room had an attached bathroom, which she took full advantage of. She took a quick, but hot shower, brushed her teeth and put on a small amount of make-up. Something she had remembered from her mother before she died was that the best make up was when it accentuated what you had, not what you thought you should have.

The smell of coffee overpowered the nerves she was now feeling, and she followed her nose to the kitchen. Now, she also smelled bacon and pancakes. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until those scents combined in her nostrils.

As she rounded the corner to the kitchen, she caught a very domestically sexy sight. Her colonel was standing over the stove, making breakfast. He was wearing almost indecently snug jeans, and a black t-shirt that outlined every muscle he had. The kitchen table was set with orange juice, two plates, and two cups of coffee. There, in the middle of the table, was also a single yellow blossom. It was the most preciously romantic breakfast she had ever seen.

"Good morning, sir."

"Carter, you're up!"

He looked over at her, the smile permeating his whole face.

"Smells delicious, sir. Thank you."

He served the two plates and set one in front of her.

He sat down next to her, and they ate in awkward silence.

"So, sir…"

"Hold it right there, Carter, I am not going to be spending the whole week having you sir me. The name is Jack, I know you know it." The memory of it naturally sliding off her lips brought a stirring in his pants he hadn't expected.

"I also have a first name, s- Jack, " she said back. He almost thought she was upset with him, but as he searched his face, he was a twinkle in her eye. The 'Jack' wasn't the way he remember it, but he knew it would get there.

"Ok, _Sam_, what would you like to do today?"

"Well, s- Jack, I really would like to see what you have been raving about for the last 7 years."

"Ok, well, then, let me get KP out of the way, and we'll go for a walk, and I'll show you my pond that has no fish."

They teamed up on the dishes, Jack finally giving in to her desire to help him clean up. He had wanted to pamper her, spoil her, but she couldn't just sit there after he had made such a succulent breakfast for her.

They both put their shoes on, and he grabbed a blanket, in case they decided to sit outside for the talk he intended to have.

**A/N: I am currently working on a new, longer, and not nearly so fluffy story - you know, one that actually has a plot! This one only has a total of 8 chapters, and is really just pure J/S fluff... but we all need a little of that in our lives, don't we?**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

They headed out, and he took her to the dock. He laid the blanket out and suggested they sit. Because the blanket was of the smallish variety, they sat rather closer than they usually did.

"Jack-"

"Sam-"

They had spoken at the same time, then slightly chuckled.

She looked into his chocolate brown eyes, and waited.

"Sam, I've been wanting to get you up here for a while. I enlisted Janet's help, thinking this would be the perfect opportunity. The guys already had plans, and she thought it was just the thing. She remembers, you know."

"Remembers?"

"Yeah, ya know, the whole thing that happened in that room. The thing we're not supposed to talk about?"

"Oh, yeah, right, sir."

"Samantha…"

"I'm sorry, I mean, Jack."

"Well…"

He suddenly became very anxious. What if she wanted to leave it in that room? No, she couldn't possibly. She had said his name, the first word she spoke, it was his name. Not sir, not colonel, but Jack.

"I want to take it out of that room."

She looked up at him, searching his face. _He loves me! I want to hear him say it, but what if he doesn__'__t?_

"Jack?" The sound was soft, almost a caress, barely a whisper.

That was it, just the way he remembered her saying it. At that moment, he knew. He knew he had done the right thing bringing her up here.

"Samantha, I couldn't say this to you at the party last night. You are such an amazing woman, strong and beautiful. When I saw you laying in the infirmary, again having landed there in another effort to save us all, I was scared. I have never been that scared. Not when I was tortured in Iraq, not when Ba'al tortured me. I couldn't imagine a world without you."

"Jack, I-"

"No, let me finish. I have to get this out before I lose my nerve. I have practiced this for so long. I wanted last night to be all about you, because I have seen you. You have such a thankless job, but you deserve the thanks. You live everyday with grace and determination.

"And I do…I do care about you…a lot more than I should.

"But I'm not waiting anymore. I have waited three years since that fateful day, and four years before that. Regulations be damned. In every other reality we have seen, every goddamn one, we have been together, you and I. Why not this one? Why do we get screwed?

"I love you, Samantha Carter."

"Jack, I love you, too."

He pulled her into his arms, and just sat there.

"I can't lose you, Sam. I just can't."

She looked up at him, leaning her head against his chest.

He looked down at her, their love passing through each other's eyes as they just sat there, holding each other.

He slowly leaned down and captured her lips in a tender kiss, fierce with love, and passion, but no promise or rush for anything more. It had been three years since he had done that, and the first one she remembered.

He leaned back, and just held her, inhaling her, memorizing her.

The kiss was better than that her imagination had conjured. His lips, his scent, his love.

"Jack?"

"Hmmm?"

"When I was stranded on Prometheus, I had, well, I guess hallucinations. Though at the time, they felt very real. I had a conversation with Daniel, Teal'c, my dad, and well..Jack, I had a conversation with you."

"You did? I'll bet it was a short one."

"Well, yeah, but I kissed you."

"You did?"

"Yes, but that was much better than my imagination. Way better. It was real. You're real."

"Sam, I have a confession."

"Sir? I mean, Jack?"

"Well, you remember that whole time-loop thingy? Where Teal'c and I kept looping back through time, again and again?"

"Yeah, sure do. The ancient device that malfunctioned. And your oatmeal. I never thought I had seen anyone enjoy oatmeal that much!" She laughed at the memory.

"Well, remember Daniel asking me if I had done anything, regardless of consequences?"

"Yeah…" Sam wondered where he was going with this.

"Well, I resigned from the SGC."

"You did WHAT?! Why?"

"Well, if memory serves, so I could do this."

He leaned down and kissed her again, taking her breath away.

"You resigned so you could kiss me? Three years ago?"

"Well, we were in the gate room, so I didn't have the opportunity to do anything more."

"The gate room?! Jack, you didn't!"

"Sure, I did. General Hammond was right there, watching. Sergeant Harriman, too."

Sam got a case of the giggles. She wished she could see the look on the base commander's face when his second-in-command had handed in his resignation, then started kissing _his_ second-in-command.

"I wish I could remember that."

"I wish I could have been on Prometheus with you."

"Jack, I love you so much. You are such an incredible man, and very sexy."

"Sexy?"

"Mmmmm…very." Her eyes got a slight glaze to them as she looked at him. She seemed to be mesmerized with his mouth.

"Jack? Can we go inside? Or somewhere not quite as hard as this dock?"

"Why, Major Carter, are you planning something?" He looked down at her, his own emotions playing across his face. He wanted her, loved her, desired her, adored her.

"Were you serious when you said no funny stuff? What about not so funny stuff, but very real stuff?"

She blushed as she asked him, finding it difficult to meet his eyes.

He stood up, and lifted her into his arms.

"Oh, Samantha, I just want to spend time with you. With Anubis and his fleet looming over us, I just didn't want anything unsaid."

"Jack, I don't want anything left un_done_. We are both needed for this fight. But…"

"We don't know if…"

"Jack, just kiss me again. I'm under orders to not think about that until next week."

In response, he picked her up and the blanket. He kissed her and kept kissing her until he got to the wide open meadow next to his fishless pond. She had wrapped her arms around his neck, and began to probe his mouth with her tongue. A groan started back in his throat.

"Carter…"

Her last name, this time, sounded like an endearment, as he broke the kiss.

**A/N: Ok, the next chapter is, um... well, it's what gives the story the "M" rating. I'm currently working on making it a little less graphic, and I may be failing miserably. There will be a warning at the beginning of it, so anyone who is not of age or doesn't like to read about such subjects should just skip the next chapter. Consider yourself warned.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Ok, folks, this is the chapter that gives the story the "M" rating. I have tried to tone it down a bit (ok, I've tried to tone it down A LOT), but I may have failed miserably. If you do not like sexual situations, or are too young to read them (You know who you are!), please turn back now and wait for the next update. Skipping this chapter will not detract from the pure, shippy, fluffiness of this story.**

CHAPTER 7

He laid the blanket down on the grass, giving them an extra cushion.

Then, he took her by her hand, and sat her down next to him.

"Carter, I don't want you to regret anything. I want to love you, but I don't want you doing it because…"

"Jack, I'm not planning on this being it. I want a lifetime, and I am not planning on that lifetime being over in the next week."

"Samantha."

"Just kiss me again, Jack, just kiss me. And you say I think too much!"

With a sultry grin, he laid her back and stretched out next to her. His lips met hers, and he planted one hand at her hip, caressing it, massaging it.

Her hips began to undulate, knowing that she was going to love her colonel. Only now he wasn't just her colonel, he was her man.

_My man._

Her fingers came up and ran through his hair, fingernails just barely scraping his scalp.

He broke the kiss and leaned into her hand as he moaned.

His hand inched up from her hip, slipping under her shirt and feeling the delicate velvet that was her skin. She reached down and pulled his black t-shirt up and over his head before splaying her hand over his chest, playing with the silver hair that dotted his torso.

She licked her lips before biting her lower one, and moaned. She had dreamed about this for a very, very long time.

He continued inching her blouse up, until he finally found those objects he had obsessed over for 7 years. He pulled her shirt off all the way and just looked at her. From the waist up, all she had on was a beautiful, lacy pink bra, which cupped those creamy globes to perfection. They heaved with every heavy breath she took. She continued to tickle his chest, but now she did so absently, still biting her lip.

He pulled one strap off her left shoulder, and had his left arm around her waist. He kissed her shoulder where the strap had been. She whimpered at the scrape of his whiskers against her skin.

_"__Oh, God!"_

Jack repeated his action with the right shoulder, kissing it again, and working his way down to free her breasts from their confines. As he pulled one into her mouth, she arched her back, allowing him access to unclasp her bra and remove it completely.

He was very hard, and her hands snaked around his back, running down to his buttocks, loving the firm feel under his jeans. Her hands moved around and began to fumble with the button at the front.

"Oh, Sam!" He laid his head between her breasts as her fingers worked on his jeans. He was right, she smelled of lilacs.

She opened his jeans, and urgently pushed them over his hips, until all he was wearing was his white cotton boxers. They tented at the front, and Sam marveled at the size of him, before she had even seen him. She ran her fingertips under the elastic of his waistband.

"Sam, wait…let's take this slow."

"But…"

"No buts, I'm going to devour you."

True to his word, he leaned her back and worked his way down her again. He paused at the snap at the front of her jeans, gingerly pulling them apart before lifting her hips to remove them. She had a pair of pink lacy panties to match the bra he had discarded earlier.

"Yes! A thong!"

She giggled as she wiggled her hips for him.

It was his turn to bite his bottom lip, and he peeled the panties off her hips. He groaned as he revealed the most beautiful sight in the world. After he had tossed her undergarment aside, he just stared at her, at _his_ woman, and the wonder that was her body. She had battle scars, fading but there. He leaned down and ran his tongue over one in particular. They had been reduced to cave men in their first year of working together, and she had been stabbed in the process. The scar was barely visible, but he remembered teasing her afterwards and the little tank top she had worn.

He marveled at her, in wonder and amazement. He loved her. His tongue moved down her abdomen from the scar to the apex of her legs. He paused a moment to inhale the scent of her. Lilacs and woman. What a combination!

He kissed her inner thigh, and she tossed her head back as she clenched at the blanket. He was driving her crazy. Her hips began to move, urging him to continue.

He wrapped his arms around her legs, so he could reach around and open her to him. He leaned down with his tongue to tease her. Her arousal was obvious. He had barely touched her, and he elicited a very strong response. He gave her the most intimate of kisses, reveling in the hint of what was to come.

"Jack, please…don't stop…Oh, Jack."

He took her into his mouth and began to suck very gently. Her gentle moans filled the country air, as he ran his fingertips up her leg. He continued to suck, firmer and firmer, until he placed two of those fingers at her entrance. She was beyond ready.

"Oh, God, Sam, you're so wet," he pushed his fingers into her, feeling her walls begin to contract around him as he began to stroke her with those fingers. Her head began to thrash from side to side, as she tweaked her own nipples, pulling on them, twisting them.

He could tell she was close to orgasm, and he kept pumping his fingers in and out of her, as deep as he could. He removed his mouth long enough to look at her.

She was even more beautiful when she came than he had imagined she could be at any moment, under any other circumstances.

"Let go, baby, let me taste you."

She was always one to follow orders, especially his, so she flooded his mouth, and his fingers became drenched. Her muscles contracted as he lifted his fingers to his mouth and tasted her.

"Oh, Sam, you are delicious!"

It took Sam a moment to recover. She gazed at him, and he leaned down and kissed her, leaving the taste of her on her own lips. She moaned and reached down for him, to pull his hard length in her hand. She gasped at how large and hard he was.

"Sam, you keep that up, and this is going to be embarrassingly quick," he was able to pant out.

He reached down and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. He brought her up, and positioned himself in the cradle of her legs.

Reluctantly, he let go of her hand and leaned back on his knees. With one hand he clasped his length and aimed it at her entrance, still dripping from her recent orgasm. What would have usually hurt his knees was now one of the best feelings he could remember.

His velvet tip rested against her, as he leaned over her, straightening his legs. Tantalizingly slow, he pushed slightly forward. She enveloped him, hot, wet heat encasing his most prized possession.

"Ahhhh…" they both moaned at the same time.

He kept pushing until he was fully seated within her. She began to clench and tighten around him, pulsing and vibrating.

"Damn," he swore as he pulled out until just he was barely inside of her.

She moaned, disappointed that he had left her, but just as she realized it, he was pushing back into her. Again he repeated the same motion, building the tension low in her belly. He kissed her as he again repeated his motions, over and over.

He moved faster, her hips grinding him when he slammed back into her. He tried to make it slow, sweet, and loving, but his control snapped when her teeth found the tender flesh of his earlobe. They both became frenzied, kissing and nipping any flesh within reach. Her moans turned to screams, as sweat dripped from his forehead.

The walls of her sex began to tighten around him more and more, until he couldn't take it. He felt her release around him, just as he was emptying himself into her. He buried his face into her neck, whispering, "I love you."

They both pulsed in time with the other, unable to move or speak.

Minutes passed, maybe hours.

They just snuggled there, on the blanket, under the warm Minnesota sun, birds continuing to chirp in the distance.

After an interminable amount of time, he pulled his head up and kissed her lovingly on the mouth.

"Sam, I love you."

"I love you, too, Jack."

"I would love to try that in a bed."

"We have the whole week, sir, but right now, I'm starving."

"Wore you out, did I?"

Sam giggled and nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Ok, this is the end. I am still working on my next story, but I am still a little ways from it being ready to post. I hope you all enjoyed this little bit of sappy, wishful writing!**

CHAPTER 8

They gathered up their clothes and went inside, still naked. He turned and saw her walking into his house, naked. Sam Carter. Naked. In his house. _Sam Carter. Naked. In his house._

Just as they were perusing the kitchen to determine what they would make for lunch, there was an annoying ringing sound coming from the bedroom she had used last night.

"Sam? I thought you had left that at home."

"Sorry, let me just check and see who it is."

Dejectedly, he watched her run to get her cell.

"Major Carter."

He didn't hear the rest of the conversation.

Jack could tell something was up when she came back to him fully dressed.

"Sam?"

"It was the SGC, Jack. Anubis. General Hammond is recalling everyone."

"Dammit!"

"I agree. And Janet had packed this sexy little blue lacy number. I guess it'll give us something to look forward to after."

"I guess…But I want to see the little blue number. I bet it brings out your eyes."

"But, Jack, I love you. You love me, and we're not going to die. We'd better not."

"Yeah, better not."

Jack dropped her off at her house, so they could head over to the SGC in separate vehicles. Just before she jumped out of the truck, Sam turned to Jack.

"Sir…"

"Samantha…"

"No, we're headed back to the base. We have to return to the regs when we're there. Sir, what I was saying…I don't regret this…but we..."

"No buts, Carter. I know. We need to be SG-1 and kick some Goa'uld ass. This isn't the end. I'm not going to allow that son-of-a-bitch Anubis prevent me from loving you for the rest of my natural life. Get going, I'll see you at the base. I'm anxious to get this damn fight over with."

Sam leaned over, and kissed him hard.

"I'm right behind you. See you at the base."

They caravanned over to the base, Jack leading the way. Sam followed in her Volvo, uncharacteristically singing along with the soft rock playing through her speakers. She felt like a teenager, and told herself she had to reign it in. They had a mission, to rid the universe of one horrid snake-in-the-head. Wow, she really _had_ been spending a lot of time with Jack, she was even thinking like him now!

They parked, and before they could head towards the building, Jack grabbed her and gave her an all-consuming kiss, the kind that has your mind reeling, and your lungs struggle to catch your breath when the kiss is over.

"I mean it, Samantha. I love you. I'm not losing you, and not letting you lose me. Let's do this."

He squeezed her tight, and then led the way to the base entrance.

Daniel and Teal'c were waiting for them when the elevator opened on sub-level 28.

"Sam, Janet asked to see you first thing. She said something about you not being able to do this after the briefing, but wouldn't tell me why." Daniel looked disappointed.

Sam turned and glanced at her colonel, who raised his eyebrows.

She had to stop herself from skipping all the way to the base infirmary, but try as she might, she couldn't keep the smile off her face. She rounded the corner and saw the petite doctor's face.

"Sam, let's go into my office."

The two friends enter the medical officer's private office, and Janet shuts the door.

"So?"

"So, what, Janet? You packed up all my stuff, including some very not-me lacy underwear and sent me off to Colonel O'Neill's cabin for a week? Planning my life for me?" Sam tried very hard to sound upset with her closest friend.

"Well, yes."

"After you asked me years ago, if my missing him was a problem? Were you trying to _make_ it a problem?"

"Samantha Carter! You better not be chastising me. I've seen you two interact for 7 years. I was in that room with the two of you when you both admitted to feelings that are prohibited by the Air Force. I've seen the look on his face every damn time he has to wait for you to wake up in my care. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Janet.." Sam tried to interrupt.

" That any of us are stupid? You and Colonel O'Neill have made an extreme sacrifice to save all our hides, and we're done watching you two make moon eyes at each other and pretend there's nothing there. We're done…"

"Ok, ok, Janet. I was jerking your chain. If you'll calm down for one minute, and allow me to thank you…" Samantha interjected, giggling slightly. Man, she adored being able to make the doctor lose her usual professional calm.

"Thank me? You mean…?"

"Yes, Janet. We still have to keep things under wraps, thanks to one Anubis, but we're, ah hell, we didn't determine where we are. General Hammond recalled us before we could really nail down specifics, but… we know we're in love, and we want to be together. Everything else is icing on, well, cake."

She giggled to herself for a minute, remembering Jack's love of cake, and his abhorrence of clichés.

The two women embraced, happy with the turn of events.

"But, that all depends on us surviving the coming war."

"Well, you'd better survive. I didn't go lingerie shopping for you for nothing!" Janet could barely control the happiness she felt for two of her favorite patients. It wasn't quite the outcome she had hoped for, once again cursing the frat regs for ruling their lives, but it was a step in the right direction at least.

Sam left her friend, and headed up to the briefing room, sat with her team, and started thinking about Jaffa tactics, naquadah bombs, and the fight against Anubis and his super soldiers.

13 MONTHS LATER…

SG-1 had defeated Anubis, Jack had his mind back and had been defrosted by Thor, Sam had been promoted to Colonel and Jack to Brigadier General, and the war with the Replicators was ongoing.

Again, Sam and Jack had been to another party. This time, they were both the guests of honor. It was, after all, a wedding.

They had decided that after wasting so much time, they had better not waste another moment. Jack had been promoted to General, and instead of heading the SGC, he took a post in Washington. Sam had also been promoted, and took a similar post, but in a different chain of command, at the Pentagon. They wanted a life together, not separate. They were both on call for the SGC on a "Call us if the world is in jeopardy basis," but decided to have a piece of this heaven on Earth they had fought so hard for for the last 8 years.

The ceremony had been short and sweet, held in the gateroom. Daniel had become ordained and officiated the ceremony. Janet had been the maid of honor, Teal'c was the best man. Jacob Carter and General George Hammond had both given away the bride. Bra'tac and Thor were there, along with several SGC personnel. Cassie had been allowed back on base for the ceremony. And of course, there was cake. However, this time in Ancient was written: "They were there for us, and now for each other. Always." Atop the cake were figures of the bride and groom, outfitted in their best BDUs, holding hands.

They stood at the door of his cabin once again, this time with no phones, even the one at the cabin had been removed.

Jack's dream came true. Here she was, in a white dress and a gold ring on her finger, and he was carrying her over the threshold once again.

Jack looked down at his bride. Strike that, he had married her. She was his wife. This time, when he carried her into the cabin, he went straight to the master bedroom, no second thoughts.

He stood her there, in front of their bed, and kissed her again.

"I love you, Samantha Carter." He reached up and pushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. Her hair had grown longer than the pixie style she favored out in the field, and he was enjoying the moments when he could play with it.

"Oh, no, I'm Samantha O'Neill now. Now and forever."

"Ah. Yes. Mrs. O'Neill. I love you, Mrs. O'Neill. There's a new Colonel O'Neill in town."

"With two L's!" She smiled as she threw her arms around him.

They kissed passionately, and he began to divest his wife of her wedding gown. Underneath was only that little, lacy blue number he had dreamed about, the one Janet had sent with her months ago, when they had begun this whirlwind of a romance.

Jack uttered one last word before he made love to his wife.

"NICE!"

Janet was right. This was the least risky risk she had ever taken.

**Final A/N: I would like to thank everyone who read my short, fluffy story. It was never meant to be long, just a little story inspired by the infirmary scene at the end of Grace. I really wish the PTB had given us something to concretely confirm Sam and Jack. I was at a panel with Amanda Tapping last month, and even SHE wanted the same thing, at least a closing scene of the two of them laughing in bed, or _something_. She wanted more than a fishing scene at the cabin at the end of Season 8 or the allusions in the rest of the series.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this little journey. As I've said, I am working on something longer. I really do miss this show and the dynamic characters, so I will continue to pull them out of the box, play with them as my muse demands, and then grudgingly put them away for others to play with.**

**Love to you ALL! See you on the other side!**


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